New Beginnings
by Ryo Toya
Summary: New Year's fic. Sasuke and Naruto have been in love with each other for years, but are too stubborn to confess their feelings. Time for someone to change that. Sasunaru


Hello! Here is a New Year's fic, just for you! It is my first Sasunaru fic, so enjoy!

**Title: **New Beginnings

**Genre and Pairing:** Yaoi and Sasunaru (This is boy-boy fluff. You don't like, don't read)

**Notes:** Slight OOC. Also, the pairings for everyone except Sakura, Lee, and Shikamaru are based on Trollmia's pairings in her fic "Below Zero"

Oh yes, as always:

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Not one bit. Nor I am not making any profit off this fic.

**Key:**

_Italics_ means a person's thoughts.

* * *

-----December 30th-----

"Sasuke-kun! SASUKE-KUN!!!" Sakura yelled as she ran towards Sasuke and Naruto. The three of them might have been separated for almost three years, but they found themselves put back together, and have become a team again for the past few years.

Sasuke made no effort to show that he had heard her, he simply began to brood even more. He hated it whenever any of his fan-club showed up. They were all beyond annoying and no matter how hard he tried, he still always found one nearby. What was worse was that one was on his team, so he couldn't avoid her, even if he wanted to.

"Ne, ne, Sasuke-kun, are you sure you won't come to my New Year's party? Everyone's going to be there, and you haven't attended a single New Year's party since you returned."

"Hn." was the only response he gave. He didn't want to go at all. Being social was definitely not the Uchiha's forte. Large crowds just got too annoying too fast. Just as he opened his mouth to refuse in a more straightforward manner, Naruto decided now was the time to jump in to the conversation.

Naruto pointed his finger at Sasuke as he shouted. "You are going, Sasuke-teme. If you don't go, I'll drag you there myself. You need to get out more, and stop brooding when you have nothing to brood about anymore."

Sasuke knew Naruto really would try to drag him down there. He also knew Naruto was completely right about him having nothing to brood about anymore. Now that he had killed both Orochimaru and his brother, his vengeance was complete. Also, now that he was a Konoha ninja again, he had no limit to what he could do now. Almost no limit. He did have one thing that limited his happiness. He was in love, in love with someone who would most certainly never return his feelings. And the object of his affection was currently yelling his ears off.

"Fine." Anything to save his hearing. He might be in love with Naruto, but that didn't mean Naruto's voice didn't still hurt his ears from time to time.

He could never tell anyone he loved Naruto, however. He _is_ Uchiha Sasuke, the ice-prince of Konoha after all. And ice-princes don't show any emotion other than various degrees of annoyed.

"Great! Then we'll see you there, Sasuke-kun!" _Got him!!! _Sakura thought as she smiled at him. She batted her lashes at him, keeping up appearances, while inside her mind she began to think about what she would do to get Sasuke and Naruto together. Yes, she knew about the two of them and their true feelings. Being a med-nin, she needed to be more observant than she had been, and when Sasuke had returned to Konoha, she noticed that he was acting differently towards Naruto. Very subtly, too subtle for the Hokage-to-be to notice, but she quickly put two-and-two together after only a couple of days.

She had long known Naruto loved Sasuke, based on the things he had said while Sasuke was gone. It was extremely hard to miss when he kept on mumbling Sasuke's name and the words "I love you" in his sleep, but he was too stubborn to confess to Sasuke his feelings. And Sasuke was the same. She found it quite amusing how they at the same time insulted and desired each other. She found it even more amusing that the two of them still thought she was a part of his fan-club. Unbeknownst to both of them she had already decided to let them be together. Once she had realized she didn't have a chance with Sasuke, she made it her secret mission to see her most precious people become a couple. She had been working on this plan for months, and now it was all coming together perfectly. Shaking her head to get her mind back in the present, she waited quietly for her lazy teacher.

Kakashi showed up only an hour late, a best time for him. He simply announced that there were no missions for the next week and vanished. Sakura jumped at the opportunity. _Time to spice the plan up a bit!_ She turned to Naruto and sighed.

"Naruto, do you have ANYTHING worth wearing to the party? Because you are NOT showing up in your normal clothes to MY party." Sakura already knew the answer to her question, but this was an opportunity to make the plan go smoother.

Naruto looked at her sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ano… No, not really. I never went to parties, so I don't have a party outfit."

"Well then, you are in luck, for you have me as a teammate. Come on, we are going shopping. NOW." Grabbing his hand, Sakura practically dragged Naruto back to town with him stammering weak excuses the whole way.

Sasuke silently watched them leave, then turned and went home. Entering his apartment, he took off his sandals and hitae-ate. Then he headed to his bedroom, sprawling face-first onto the bed. He was still tired both emotionally and physically from training with Naruto yesterday. Trying to keep himself from ravishing Naruto as he continually grappled and sparred with him on an almost daily basis was a big drain on his energy, and therefore he needed more sleep than usual. At least here in his new home he could sleep soundly. When he had returned to Konoha, he flatly refused to move into the Uchiha compound. Even though his murderous brother was dead, the place still gave him nightmares. Instead, he moved into a roomy apartment not too far from Naruto's. It was comfortable, and better yet, he could actually call it home. Not a graveyard where he knew each and every occupant.

As he lay there, his mind wandered to Naruto and his current 'predicament'. Sakura could be really scary when she shopped, and now she had Naruto trapped with her in some store. Just before he drifted off, he wondered what she would get Naruto, and what he would wear himself to the party he didn't even want to go to.

-----New Year's Eve----

Sasuke grimaced as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop on his way to Sakura's house. He still couldn't believe that he was actually going through with this. Landing a couple of streets down, he ran a hand over his clothes and hair, making sure everything was perfect. His short-sleeve shirt was made of a fine black mesh that shimmered and seemed to flow like water over his muscular form. His loose-fitting pants were made of black denim that was so dark it seemed that he was wearing a shadow. His hair was expertly styled, and a bright silver yin-yang pendant adorned his chest. His belt was made of studded black leather, and his boots shone from their polish. He might not want to be going to her party, dammit, but he sure as hell would look like he owned the place.

He shivered slightly as snow began to fall, a little cold now that he wasn't moving and keeping warm. Sasuke held his head high as he walked up to the brightly-lit Haruno household, where the party was in full swing. Schooling his grimace into his usual frown, he reached up a hand and knocked on the door. He heard someone unlock the door and found himself face to face with a beaming Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun! Glad you made it! HEY EVERYONE! IT'S SASUKE!!!" Sasuke almost winced as he heard a huge roar of welcoming from the rest of the group. Brushing past Sakura, he entered the living room where the party was being held. Once there, he took in the layout of the room.

The room was decorated with balloons, ribbons, crepe paper, and a large 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!' banner on the far wall. Underneath the banner, there was a long table covered with a tablecloth, with chips, punch, and various other snacks and drinks. All the furniture was pushed to the sides to make room for a dance area, and there were several chairs and a couch along the walls. The lights were dimmed, but a colored light show was going on, giving the room a night-club-like atmosphere. The stereo to the right was booming out music, and almost all of the Rookie Nine were dancing, dressed for the occasion. The only one not dancing at the moment was Shikamaru, sitting in a chair, staring blankly forward and looking as bored as ever.

Sasuke took all this in and decided that the punch bowl was the best place to be seen but not bothered. Quickly making a beeline for it, he planted himself on the couch next to the refreshments and watched the people in the middle of the room dance to the slow beat.

Sitting there, he soon realized that not only the Rookie Nine was there, but so were the siblings from Suna and Rock Lee's team. He caught a glimpse of Kankuro's mummified puppets slowly bobbing up and down next to two little hair buns that could only belong to Tenten. Temari's fan and unique hairstyle made a brief appearance at the edge of the crowd right across from the piercing white eyes of Hyuuga Neji. He then noticed Gaara was dancing a small distance from the crowd, hugging a very unexpected dance partner close. Though Sasuke never showed surprise, he couldn't help cocking an eyebrow when he realized that the fierce and frightening Gaara was dancing with quiet and kind Hinata. What's more, Sasuke realized they were there as a couple once the young Kazekage quickly leaned down and stole a kiss from her lips. He drew back just as quickly with a slight flush on his cheeks that was dwarfed by hers. Sasuke found Kiba and Shino were dancing not too far away from them. Kiba was dancing a wild and crazy version of the dance they were doing, with Shino keeping a dignified air about him. They were complete opposites, but they were dancing close together nonetheless. He made another sweep with his eyes and noticed Sakura and Ino dancing with Lee and Choji, each of them dancing very close to their respective partners.

As he watched everyone dance, he found that everyone else had been able to love and be loved by someone but him. He felt a pang of jealousy stab his heart as he thought about his own secret love and how he could never be with him.

He was brought out of his depressing thoughts by a knock on the front door. He saw Sakura pull away from Lee with an apologetic smile and hurry to the door. Sasuke watched as Sakura reappeared in the doorway and stepped aside to let her guest in to be welcomed.

Sasuke's mouth went dry as he beheld the man in the doorway. He wore a blue silk shirt that hung a little loosely around the sleeves and framed his powerful torso. It shimmered slightly as he moved into the room. The black denim pants hugged his hips and draped themselves straight down his legs, just covering the tops of the black canvas sneakers he wore. The exact same yin-yang necklace Sasuke himself was wearing hung around the man's neck, and his spiky golden hair was wild and untamable, but styled in a way that made it seem soft and fine at the same time. The man fox-grinned widely at the welcoming shout, and Sasuke realized that the stunning apparition in the doorway was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke watched as Naruto moved across the room towards him, Naruto nodding greetings to everyone along the way. When Naruto came over to him, Naruto grinned widely and plopped down next to him.

"Oi, Sasuke-teme. You actually came. When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago."

"Oh."

After that long, thought-provoking conversation, Naruto looked down and away from Sasuke. Sasuke looked over at Naruto and was surprised to see a slight blush dusting his whiskered cheeks.

"You…look good, Sasuke."

Sasuke stiffened slightly as his mind registered that compliment. Flushing slightly himself, he gazed back at Naruto and said, "You too." His mind was beginning to play against him, filling his head with images that nearly made him get a nosebleed. His legendary self-control was able to hold the line between thoughts and actions, but just barely.

Naruto looked back up at him, his expression happy. "Good! I thought Sakura-chan was crazy when she chose this outfit for me. It is so stuffy looking in my opinion." The flush deepened as he looked away again and mumbled something Sasuke had a feeling Naruto hadn't wanted him to hear- "Though I don't look nearly as gorgeous as you do."

Sasuke looked as shocked as he felt, the ice-prince mask thawing momentarily in his surprise. "Excuse me?"

Realizing Sasuke had heard him, Naruto went bright red as he looked back at Sasuke and began waving his hands excitedly. "N-nothing. I said nothing."

Sasuke caught Naruto's hands to get him to stop stammering out excuses. He smirked as the flush deepened even further at the physical contact. His self-control finally gave out, letting the images begin clouding his mind. _How adorable…_ Sasuke's mind whispered as he gazed at Naruto, his façade wavering.

Desire taking control, he leaned forward and brushed his lips over Naruto's gently. As he drew back, he heard Naruto gasp quietly in surprise.

"T-teme… Why…" Naruto's response was quieted by Sasuke's finger on his lips, which was soon replaced by his mouth again. The feel of Sasuke's lips on his sent a warm wave that swept towards his toes and transformed his powerful, well-conditioned muscles into happy mush. His eyes slipping closed, he wrapped shaky arms around Sasuke's neck and deepened the kiss. He didn't care what was going on about them. He didn't care about the fact that almost all their peers were most likely staring in shock. All he cared about were the soft lips on his and the strong and loving presence next to him.

Sasuke moaned inwardly when Naruto deepened the kiss. Just before the outside world was tuned out, he vaguely heard the music stop and complete silence envelop the room. After that, all he could hear was the roar of his blood roaring in his ears as he kissed his blond dobe. Pulling away after a second, he rested his forehead against Naruto's. Looking into Naruto's clouded blue eyes, he whispered the answer to the question Naruto had asked earlier. "Because I love you, usuratonkachi."

When Sasuke saw the answer pierce the fog surrounding Naruto's mind, he saw those eyes begin to fill with tears. Suddenly he felt Naruto's hands grab the back of his head, pulling him into a kiss. Before he lost complete grip on reality, he was brought back out when Naruto ended the kiss quickly. He pulled back so he could see Sasuke's face and smiled before he said, "I love you too… teme."

Sasuke smiled quietly and was about to continue their kissing when he heard clapping from the others. The two of them looked over to see everyone watching, even Shikamaru. Of course Shikamaru soon looked away with his usual "so troublesome" mutter, but everyone else kept clapping, and in Kiba's case, an occasional howl added for good measure. Lee was crying with joy, shouting words celebrating their "young love" as Sakura next to him patted his back, trying to calm him down. Gaara wasn't clapping or smiling, at least not physically. But you could see approval in his eyes as Hinata nearly clapped her hands off, her normally quiet smile nearly glowing with happiness. Kankuro had brought out his puppets to clap for him, but that hadn't lasted long before Tenten punched the back of his head and told him to stop being stupid and clap himself. Ino was clapping softly with a smile on her face, and Choji next to her clapped between bites. Neji smiled very slightly as he clapped quietly, with Temari was doing much of the same.

Sakura hurried up to the two of them as the others restarted the music and continued dancing. Lee was still crying, but seemed to be more under control. At her nod, he wandered off, disappearing into the crowd.

Sitting down in a chair she dragged from elsewhere, she sat facing them and said, "So?"

Naruto looked at her confusedly. "Huh? So? So what?"

"So, are you two together now?" Her green eyes shone expectantly.

"No, Sakura, we just confessed our love for each other and kissed in front of our peers just for kicks. Of course we are together." Sasuke snorted.

"So my plan worked! This is so great! It actually worked!" Sakura gushed.

Now Naruto was really confused, his eyes slitting in confusion. He tilted his head a bit and gestured for her to continue.

"I have only been working on this for MONTHS now. I have known you two have had feelings for each other for a long time. However, you two are so stubborn you never said anything. So I decided to create a scenario that would get one of you two to confess to the other. To tell you the truth, I was having my doubts on if it would actually work, but I have a feeling Naruto's outfit could have had something to do with all this going so smoothly, am I right?"

Sasuke nodded absently as he looked at Naruto again, causing Naruto to flush under Sasuke's heated gaze.

Sakura smiled knowingly as she stood. "Well, I'd best leave you two alone. Hope you'll join us on the dance floor, once you can stop staring at each other that is." With that, she turned and walked back to where Lee was standing and they began to dance again.

Naruto smiled as he thought about all that Sakura had done for them, but those thoughts left his mind as Sasuke's teeth and lips skimmed over the sensitive skin of his neck. He shivered as goosebumps erupted on his skin and Sasuke's voice purred seductively into his ear.

"Well, Naruto, we could stay here and dance the night away, or we could go to my place and ring in the New Year more…pleasurably. Your choice."

"Let's go." Naruto responded instantly, and after bowing and giving their thanks to their hostess, they left hand-in-hand, disappearing into the snowy night. As they left, they knew that from now on, New Year's now held a new significance to the two of them. It was now not only the start of a new year, but now the start of a whole new life for both of them, a life bonded to each other forever.

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Owari

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Well, that's all! Please read and review, it would make me oh-so-happy!

I hope you enjoyed it, and have a Happy New Year!!!


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